Family emigrated from Greece when he was 6 months old; family settled in Harlem, dad became a busboy. Worked as a grocery store clerk while attending NYU; dropped out after a friend offered him a chance to buy a piece of the store. Opened first grocery store at 100th St. and Broadway 1969; owned 10 stores by age 24, made $25 million a year in revenue. Plowed $5 million into Manhattan real estate 1977; property worth $100 million 5 years later. Today his Red Apple Group owns hundreds of millions' worth of property; New York's Gristedes grocery chain. Stumbled upon Chapter 11 proceedings of United Refining Company; purchased oil refiner's stock for $7.5 million. Today firm owns 372 gas stations, Pennsylvania refinery. Took blank check company United Refining Energy Corp. public in December 2007; raised $450 million hoping to grab an energy company as asset prices dwindled. Now trying to buy bankrupt SemGroup; energy transport outfit sued him in February, accusing him of trying to "hijack" their reorganization plans. Prospects for running for mayor of New York crushed last fall after Gotham's City Council approved law allowing billionaire Michael Bloomberg to run for a third term.